It is Willow's RIGHT to
sit on your lap, sleep on your face, and eat your supper!

For 12 years I was happily
living with Irish wolfhounds. Thanks to an irresponsible breeder and strange
circumstance, my best buddy's new house mate is about the size of his foot.

We have a wolfhound named Oak
and Jack is fond of a movie called Willow about a wee magician. It just
seemed perfect to name this wee bit of fur Willow. We had no idea just
how big a personality a dachshund package can contain.

For anyone who is considering
a dachshund as a pet - be fore-warned: There is a very BIG presence
in those little bodies.

Oh, by the way, it is NOT a
dash hound, it is a dox hund.

Willow is NEVER sorry for
the bad things he does. His favorite pass time now is to chew holes in
all MY bedding. He has unstuffed two comforters and ruined two sets of
sheets. The problem with a miniature dachshund is that they are SMALL.
When wolfhounds are pups, one can always SEE them.

Breed History

The dachshund was bred in Europe
for hunting the badger. The badger is a ferocious beast which weighs about
40 pounds and can tunnel under your front porch in about 5 minutes. The
original dachshund (German: dachs=badger hund=dog) had to find the badger
den, follow the beast through its tunnel, and then drag it out for the
hunter. It had to be compact (short legs), brave beyond compare, able to
dig (big feet) and to follow its long nose. Those original dogs were about
40 pounds, the standard dachshund of today weighs about 30. The miniatures
are supposed to be under 12. The personality that comes with the dachshund
is a result of the formidable power and bravery that enabled him to do
his job.

Breed Standard

It is important with any breed
to know its "standard" and understand what it means. A standard is the
description of a breed set up by the registry, in our case the American
Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC keeps lineage records of all purebred dogs registered
with them.

The dachshund standard calls
for a dog that is "Low to ground, long in body and short of leg with
robust muscular development, the skin is elastic and pliable without excessive
wrinkling. Appearing neither crippled, awkward, nor cramped in his capacity
for movement, the Dachshund is well-balanced with bold and confident head
carriage and intelligent, alert facial expression. His hunting spirit,
good nose, loud tongue and distinctive build make him well-suited for below-ground
work and for beating the bush. His keen nose gives him an advantage over
most other breeds for trailing. Note: Inasmuch as the Dachshund is a hunting
dog, scars from honorable wounds shall not be considered a fault."

It also states "The Dachshund
is clever, lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering
in above and below ground work, with all the senses well-developed. Any
display of shyness is a serious fault."

When you translate this to
frontier English, it means a strong, intelligent and hard-headed little
cuss.

While Willie is a PUREBRED
dachshund, he is not WELL-BRED. He is not registered with the AKC.

He has a severe overbite which
has gotten a little better as he has gotten older. The bite is important
to a dog that has to fight in his daily activity, an overbite can cause
him to lose his grip on his opponent.

The bite would disqualify him
in a show ring but otherwise he is a fair example of the breed. He could
have a deeper chest and he is a bit chubby (from stealing food.) There
is no doubt that someone has come to visit when Willie voices his challenge
to them, he can be heard from anywhere on the property. While he cannot
keep up with Oak on uneven ground (dips in the yard are a major hurdle),
he is capable of an amazing speed and follows his hero everywhere.

Two things I have noticed about
Willow are his rebound from falling into the dips (you would barely notice
that he fell) and he stands on his head when he digs. I don't know yet
if all dachshunds do the tripod thing, but it is amazing to watch him dig
a hole. He's like a miniature mining machine. The front paws move at a
blur and the dirt flies from between the back legs. That thick, strong
tail is for removing him from his excavations.